


What Eli Did

by Lastavica



Category: 24 (TV)
Genre: Angst, Crying, Family, Family Secrets, Father-Daughter Relationship, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Ira Gaines' Compound, Lots of Crying, Pain, Post-Season/Series 02, Rewrite, Season/Series 01, widower
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-09
Updated: 2016-09-09
Packaged: 2018-08-14 01:51:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7994254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lastavica/pseuds/Lastavica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kim finally tells her father a secret.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Eli Did

**Author's Note:**

> Set post-season 2 after Jack heals up.

"Dad?"

Jack looked up from the paper. Kim was standing awkwardly in the doorway. She bounced her fist slightly against the screen door.

He smiled. "Hey, sweetheart."

"Can I talk to you?"

"Sure. Come sit." He gestured to the porch step beside him.

She didn't move. "Can we sit inside?"

"Yeah." Jack felt a twinge of concern as he folded the paper, and got up to follow her.

They sat down together on the couch. Jack noticed the small distance she maintained between them.

"Are you ok?"

She nodded but her face betrayed her.  
"I've been thinking a lot lately." She closed her eyes. "There's something I have to tell you." She took a deep breath.

He nodded and took her hand in his. "Ok."

She met his eyes for comfort, then looked straight ahead.  
"The day mom died," she began.

Jack inwardly cringed. That would never be ok.

"When we were being held..." She took another deep breath. This time the exhale shuddered. A tear slipped down her cheek. "One of the guards came in and-"

Kim began to cry. Jack put his arm around her and pulled her to him. She leaned in and wrapped her arms around her dad. He thought he knew where this was going and it made him want to throw up.

"His name was Eli. The one mom shot. ...He told me to go in the other room with him. I wouldn't and he tried to make me.-" 

A sob erupted from her chest.

"C'mere." Jack gently pressed her head against his chest and rubbed soft circles on her back with his other hand. "Whatever it is, sweetheart. it's ok. "

She continued sobbing for a little longer before she could speak again.

"Mom stopped him. She asked him to take her instead."

Jack's heart dropped like lead inside of him.

"She said she wouldn't fight him." Kim gasped sharply. "And then they left and it's my fault!" She wept loudly into Jack's chest, soaking his shirt. He held her tightly, his mind reeling from what she just told him.  
"I'm sorry, Daddy!" she sobbed.

"Sweetheart, what are you sorry for?" He felt his composure begin to crumble.

"She told me not to tell you!"

It felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him, but he heard himself speak anyway. "It's ok. It's ok." He squeezed his eyes shut tightly. It hurt so badly. "It's not your fault, Kim. It's not!" Tears sprang to his eyes and they burned. He took a deep breath and could not stop himself from crying. He wanted to stay strong for his daughter who'd been through too much because of him, but he couldn't do this.  
"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry!" He couldn't believe what his child had been living with for so long. He still couldn't bear how he'd failed to protect his family. Forgiving himself for what happened to his wife, his daughter's mom, slipped even further from his grasp.

They held each other like that for a long time until Kim eventually fell asleep against him.

Jack lay in bed all that night just thinking. He could understand Teri's initial decision to keep it a secret. But would she have confided in him had she survived that day? Was it him? Would she have gone on uncertain that he'd be strong enough to handle it, or afraid he'd reject her? Did she think he would not understand the choice she'd made to protect their daughter and add insult to injury? Could she really have believed that? Overwhelmed by these questions and renewed grief over Teri, Jack turned into his pillow and started crying again. How many times had he pushed thoughts of her away? Since the day he lost her he'd barely let himself think about her even close to this long. It was unbearable. His wife, their second child, their new beginning, all gone. Through his mind's fog of pain the thought returned again. She wanted to keep it a secret. He knew the truth of it. She was in shock. She hadn't even had time to process it herself. She was ashamed, afraid, stressed, exhausted, etc. It all made sense but his heart broke under the weight of it nonetheless.

The following afternoon Jack lay down twelve roses, pulled a couple of weeds and kissed her name in the cool granite. He sat cross-legged in front of her headstone. For a moment he picked at the grass and searched for words.

"I'm sorry, Teri." he finally said. It was a whisper for only her to hear.

The last thing he wanted was to cry again. It seemed like he'd done nothing else over the last twenty four hours. Tears came anyway.

"I would've understood." 

Jack leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the stone. His shoulders shook helplessly, as he leaned as close to her as he would ever get.

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this posted on ff.net for a few years. Decided to edit, tweak and post it here. Hope you liked it.


End file.
